Sunday, September 23, 2007

Most Expensive Pet (Exotic)

White Lion Cubs

The reasons for owning exotic pets are as varied as the species of the pets themselves. One may buy a pet for the aesthetic qualities of its coat, the impression that owning such a rare and/or expensive animal makes on others or even for the unique offspring that may result from its union with another rare breed. Animal lovers may procure rare snakes, birds or even primates in pursuit of their interests. The most expensive pet in the world, however, is a cat.

It’s no house cat, though. The white lion cub fetches a price of around $138,000 and hails from South Africa, where it was seen as a divine creature by some locals. Its rarity can be attributed to the fact that the white lion is not a subspecies of lion but, rather, the result of a recessive gene. Furthermore, the white lion’s coat lends itself less to hunting and more to being hunted.

Instead, the world’s most expensive pet is often selectively bred with other white lions in captivity. While this is by no means a sure way to produce another white lion, it has resulted in some 300 of the rare animals being accounted for as of 2004.